Vanessa Dean (Shadowhunter)

Description: Vanessa has a slim, lithe figure of about 5'7. Her skin is a light mocha color, with a long, white scar slanting across her neck. Her hair goes past her shoulders, is curly, and dark brown. Her eyes are a deep, dreamy chocolate brown.

History: Vanessa grew up like any other daughter from a well off Shadowhunter family; the world of fairy tales was practically her own. Her parents and older brother, Caden, were always off killing demons for the sake of man kind, leaving her to stay at home, yearning for the day she would one day join them.As Vanessa entered into her teen years, this yearning grew with her. She'd beg her parents every night for a story of their latest kill, and secretly practice with their weapons, culturing her Shadowhunter skill quite early. Soon, however, she was forced to put aside her Shadowhunter dream in order to watch over her new baby brother, Isaiah. With her parents gone most of the time, it was Vanessa job to raise the baby and love him as a mother would. One night, as Vanessa was putting her baby brother to bed, she heard a commotion outside the house. Grabbing her brothers spare bow, she ran outside to find her parents and brother in an intense fight with a group of upper class demons. She could tell they were weakening and knew that they would lose without her help. But, now with the fear of death creeping into her bones, Vanessa found she couldn't even draw back her bow, she was shaking so hard. It was too late to turn back into the house, one of the demons had seen her. With leathery wings, it swooped in with talons, and, before she could react, sliced her clear across her neck. The blood came like a busted pipe. Dropping to her knees, Vanessa forgot everything but her beating heart and the steady stream of her life blood leaving her. Her white hands clamped on her neck, trying to staunch the flood. She could feel a heavy weight suddenly descend on her, like a dark, suffocating blanket. Vanessa dropped into unconsciousness.Three days later, Vanessa awoke in the Institution, a heavy, cloth bandage wrapped around her neck. The doctors in the room were quick to tell her how near to death she had been, but their skill had saved her. Not interested in how close she had been to forever leaving the earth, Vanessa frantically asked where her family was. The silence of the doctors told her everything. No one knew why she had been spared, and her family had been murdered. Many blamed it on the reckless killings her parents had committed, racking up quite a list of enemies. Others argued that the Dean's should have been aided faster due to the closeness of fellow Shadowhunter neighbors. Vanessa didn't blame anyone but herself. If only she had been able to fight, her family might have lived. Every night brought fresh nightmares of the battle. She could hear her parents yelling for her help, Caden looking upon her with disappointment in his eyes as a flying demon drove its teeth into him, her baby brother crying in the clutches of another demon.She wasn't fit to ever be a Shadowhunter. With this declaration, Vanessa escaped from the attentive eyes of the doctors at the Institute, and found shelter in the only place that would take her. An Orphanage for young girls had accepted her into their staff, after hearing about her excellent mothering skills. She made friends in the children and in one lost border collie puppy, Mia, that became her constant companion. The mundane life was hers now. Or so she thought.Two years after her escape from the Institute, she was finally forced to face her past life. One of their recruiters, a handsome young man with golden hair, had noticed her looking warily at a passing werewolf. Any mundane wouldn't have been able to since that it was anything other than a normal person. He followed her to Orphanage and cornered her their.The boy was hard to argue with. His name was Derek Gray and he was a Shadowhunter living at the Institute. His persuasive nature was too strong, and Vanessa found herself sharing everything with him. With those blue eyes staring deep into her soul, she found she couldn't deny she had missed her old life. In only one afternoon, Derek had convinced her to abandon her mundane life and return to the Institute and her position as Shadowhunter. Mia, of course, followed.

Personality: Quiet and reserved, Vanessa appears almost invisible to most people. She rarely voices her own opinion and finds it hard to be social at all. However, with children or people in need of her help, she is kind, sweet, and gentle, the perfect mother.

Likes: Classical music, the sound of a childs laughter, playing with her dog Mia

Dislikes: Talking in front of a large crowd, doing anything destructive, snakes or any reptile